Published on August 13, 2025, 2:30 PM EDT – Key Points – Recent video footage has captured two F-117 Nighthawk stealth jets landing at the classified Area 51 facility, a temporary move while their usual home at the Tonopah Test Range undergoes maintenance.
-The U.S. Air Force has since confirmed that a fleet of approximately 45 of the officially “retired” aircraft are still being flown for non-combat research and training missions until at least 2034.
F-117 Nighthawk July 2025 National Security Journal Image HD. Photo by Harry J. Kazianis.
-The iconic jets, famous for their near-perfect record in the Gulf War, are now used as a cost-effective platform to test new technologies and simulate enemy stealth aircraft for U.S. pilots.
The F-117 Nighthawk Keep Flying
An aviation spotter captured the moment two iconic F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighters arrived at Groom Lake, Nevada—the classified United States Air Force facility better known as Area 51.
Video footage shared on YouTube showed two F-117 Nighthawks arriving at the famed military facility as the Tonopah Test Range Airport, where the Nighthawks are usually stored, undergoes maintenance.
Michał Rokita, a photographer and aviation spotter known for traveling the world to catch glimpses of classified military aircraft and activities, captured the moment the aircraft returned “home.” The F-117 was first tested under secretive conditions in 1977 at the Area 51 facility following years of development.
The video shared by Rokita also captured other aircraft arriving at the facility, including the Janet B737 and Beech King Air aircraft.
The F-117 Nighthawk Explained
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was the world’s first operational stealth attack aircraft, developed in the 1970s by Lockheed’s secretive Skunk Works to evade advanced Soviet air defenses. First flown in 1981 at Groom Lake, Nevada, the single-seat, twin-engine jet entered service in 1983 and was optimized for precision ground strikes rather than air-to-air combat.
Its design and radar-absorbent materials gave it a groundbreaking low radar cross-section, allowing it to strike heavily defended targets without being detected. Before its retirement in 2008, the aircraft saw action in Panama, the Gulf War, Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan.
And while the F-117 may no longer be in active service, several of the aircraft remain airworthy and are used for testing and training purposes.
Air Force Acknowledges F-117 Remains In Use
The U.S. Air Force recently acknowledged that the F-117 continues to fly in limited numbers, though only for testing and training purposes.
The admission followed multiple sightings by aviation spotters, with images shared on social media prompting speculation about why the Air Force may still be flying the ageing, iconic aircraft.
F-117 flights were once classified and rarely acknowledged, but in recent years, sightings have become more common.
While largely unsuited for modern combat, the F-117 is an ideal training platform. As a low-observable, stealth aircraft, the F-117 is used to develop and test new radar systems, stealth countermeasures, and other tracking technologies.
Additionally, the F-117 can be used to simulate enemy stealth aircraft in training exercises.
Writing for The National Interest, Harrison Kass also argued that the F-117 is “most likely being used as a testbed for new stealth systems, such as radar-absorbent coatings, sensors, and possibly autonomous systems – all without risking damage or expensive modifications to more relevant and expensive aircraft like the F-22 Raptor or the forthcoming B-21 Raider.”
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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